


Volatile

by one_neet_writer



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Hurt Varian (Disney), Hurt/Comfort, Not Beta Read, Varian Has Issues (Disney), Varian Needs a Hug (Disney), Varian Redemption (Disney), Varian on the run, Villain Varian
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:14:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22987732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/one_neet_writer/pseuds/one_neet_writer
Summary: In a moment of clarity, Varian decides that instead of crushing Rapunzel's happiness, he will hunt down the source of the black rocks. He won't let anyone stop him. He is going to free his father and make him proud of him no matter what it takes. Though trying to outpace Rapunzel's group may lead to some unforeseen complications...
Comments: 29
Kudos: 197





	1. Prelude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! With the series finale, I only saw it fitting to post more content with my favorite boy, Varian! This all mostly just set up for the actual story. I am so sad we didn't get to see more of Varian, especially in Season 2... So here we are now! More fanfiction with Varian staring as the Main Character.

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. You are merely bait to lure the princess here,” Varian assured as he glanced back at the Queen. He then dusted off the remnants of the Sundrop flower off his paper with a frown plastered across his face. “Only the magic of her unbreakable hair can shatter the amber and free my father.”

Anger bubbled in the pits of his stomach as the memory of being dragged out of the castle that cold, winter day and thrown out to suffer in the blizzard. The little regard that was given towards himself and his father that day. 

He could sense her confusion and the fact that she didn’t understand why he was doing this. Funny considering when you boiled down his motives and the king’s own motives, it was the same thing.

To save their family. 

“I tried asking for help in a civil manner, but was denied by everyone in Corona,” Varian continued as her “Highness” looked so shocked. 

How could she not have known! 

It’s not like he was set on revenge from the start. Varian knew this wasn’t the choice he wanted to originally take, but it is his only choice. It was Corona's fault that he had to take this course of action after all. 

Nobody wanted to help him and the rumors kept anyone away. The villagers of Old Corona were only fueled even more so by Varian’s “actions” and stormed off not wanting to deal with such a criminal. He was left alone to fend for himself and only Ruddigar stayed by his side. 

So much for being such a kind and forgiving kingdom that took criminals under their wing. 

That only added more fuel to his anger as he stormed forth with his hands clenched into tight fists. 

“So, unfortunately, this is my only remaining recourse,” he bitterly grumbled out as he grabbed the tarp before pulling it off revealing his father trapped in the amber. 

Arianna let out a gasp of pure shock and horror at the sight. 

She did feel pity for Varian. A child who was angry at the world because the only family had left was encased in amber. She knew too well the feeling of losing someone so close and precious to you. She experienced that for far too many years and Rapunzel’s age cemented that lost time period. 

However, she also knew this- whatever Varian was doing- was wrong. 

“Oh! And after you’ve freed your father?” Arianna couldn’t help but questioned. 

Varian let out a chuckle as his anger swelled up. “After?”

It was naive to think that he wouldn’t come up with a plan after his father was free after all, how else was he able to steal that useless artifact of a flower. It was no accident that much he can guarantee. 

Oh, Varian thought long and hard after what will happen once he freed his father. He was never a person to act without a plan. 

Sure he may be slightly spontaneous and accident-prone, but planning was one thing he excelled in.

“Oh, well, I’m afraid Corona will pay for turning their backs on me. And that’s when you should start worrying, Your Majesty,” Varian growled out as she let out a gasp of horror and realization across her face.

Arianna paused before a flicker of emotions crossed her face. There was something that was bugging her...

“There are still some things I still don’t understand,” Arianna carefully worded. She took a small pause as Varian walked away to kneel down by a chain attached to the floor before he fiddled with the lock on the cuff. “I thought Rapunzel did help you. I heard that she helped you steal the Sundrop flower that was locked away.”

Varian immediately stiffened before he went back to fiddle with the cuff. “She did help me in that regard… but I used her. She served her purpose to me.”

“I thought you had forgiven her? Did she not apologize for her actions and try to make it up to you?” Arianna asked confusion flooding her voice. 

Varian paused as the cuff opened before he stood up once more not saying a word. He then approached closer to the Queen as she reeled back clearly unsure of what Varian was planning to do. Varian glanced off to the side with a frown on his face. 

It didn’t surprise him… but didn’t mean it still didn’t hurt. 

“We are moving you,” he instead said grabbing the ropes and gently tugging on the bonds to lead the way. Sure he was the bad guy, but that doesn’t mean he was a _bad_ person. He was only doing this because he had to. He could feel her eyes on him as he led her over to a chain that was attached to the floor. 

“Varian, please… I’m trying to understand. Why are you doing this? I know Rapunzel broke her promise to you, but is it really worth kidnapping me and attacking Corona?” Arianna pleaded. 

Green eyes meet blue eyes. 

And Arianna could see the pain and sadness that no child should experience swimming in his eyes. However, it was also clouded over with anger and distrust as well. 

And Varian… Varian could see the concern and care that was in her gaze. A motherly concern that she genuinely seemed to care about him and wanted to be able to comfort him. A part of him was tempted just to speak out and spill out everything he had gone through.

But...

Varian blinked before forcing himself to break his gaze as he reached out and locked the cuff around her leg. He tugged on it a few times ensuring it wouldn’t come off before undoing the ropes. 

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty,” he apologized in a much softer and defeated tone as he stood up once more. “It's just... I don’t trust you.”

Arianna could do nothing but stare in silence as Varian returned to work on the final part of his plan. 

He’ll be ready for them…

Ready as he’ll ever be. 

* * *

Everything was going according to plan. It was almost laughable to how everything was falling into place for him. 

See? If they only had cared from the start, none of them would be in the situation they are in now. 

“What are you going to do, Varian?” Frederic demanded as Varian pushed out his invention. 

“Yeah, I’ll- I’ll spare you the details about the Sundrop and darkness, blah, blah, blah and get to the good stuff,” Varian huffed out before gripping the sheet and revealing his drill. He could see the confusion written across their faces and knew he had to explain the next part in order for Rapunzel to cooperate. 

He walked over to the rocks with a grin on his face. “Unbreakable,” he said and emphasized his point by knocking on the rocks. 

Then he walked over to Rapunzel before grabbing hold of her hair. 

“Unbreakable.” 

Varian walked away, releasing the hair that contained the Sundrop’s power. 

“To put it plainly, with assistance from my drill, Rapunzel’s hair _should_ be able to shatter the amber,” he continued on before looking up at the amber with hope for the first time in a long time. His chest swelled up in pride and hope at the mere thought of it. The amber will shatter and free his father. The embodiment of the Sundrop will free his father. His heart couldn’t help but soften as a small smile grew on his face. “And free my father.” 

“What do you mean ‘should’?” Frederic annoying decided to remind the room he still existed. Ugh… And Varian was having such a good moment too.

“Ooohhh, I suppose it’s just as likely the amber shatters Rapunzel,” Varian threw out one of his more dangerous theoretical dangers of this experiment. “I mean, the properties-”

“Absolutely not,” Frederic growled out, pointing his sword at the alchemist. 

Rapunzel clutched her hair with reluctance and regret written on her face. 

“It’s not your choice, Dad,” she said, unable to look her father in the eye. 

Varian took the momentary distraction of the King to approach to lean on him and shove the sword down. 

“She’s right, _Dad_.” He couldn’t help but take the opportunity to rub it into the smug king’s face. Oh, it brought him joy just to have power over the one who would demand the people to sacrifice but failed to sacrifice anything for his family. After all, he was the one who brought the rocks to Corona in the first place. 

It wasn’t hard to put two and two together, especially when one had the scroll’s information. If the king never removed the Sundrop flower, there would be no rocks here and his father would not be encased in amber. 

Speaking of…

“Oh! And I almost forgot we’re, uh, kinda on a time crunch here, so I’m gonna need to speed things along,” he said backing away from the king as he pulled out a vial. The vial that contained the most dangerous thing he ever had created before. 

A part of him was hesitant after all, he was going to recreate the amber that encased his father…

But the more rational part of his mind knew that he had nothing to worry about. 

So what if the Queen got trapped?

With Rapunzel’s magical hair that contains the Sundrop’s power, the amber will shatter and free his father. He will let them free the queen as well. He wasn’t _that_ cruel, unlike some other people. 

He ignored the fearful gasps of the queen and Rapunzel’s pleas for him to stop. 

“Well…” he approached Rapunzel once more as he pulled out one of his chemical balls and dissolved the goo that trapped Rapunzel in place. A smirk grew on his face knowing everything will work out in the end. 

“Shall we get started?”

* * *

Double-checking the modified drill, Varian made sure everything was correctly set up. He couldn’t afford for this to be a mistake. 

Not this time. Not again. 

“Varian, if this doesn’t work and something happens to me,” Rapunzel began her plea though honestly, Varian could care less. He was honestly more annoyed at her doubts but made no attempt to stop her. “Please, let my mom go.”

How dare she doubt him! 

This will work. 

The Sundrop against the amber? 

It will work after all, the Sundrop could stave off the black rocks. It’s power can hold against the ancient darkness at bay… it can easily shatter the amber. 

“I can’t make any promises, Princess,” Varian didn’t hesitate to rub salt into the wounds before slipping on his goggles and turning on his drill. 

Shoving the drill forward, Varian could see it.

The amber began to crack before it burst, sending the bits of amber across the room. 

His father was free and then his revenge on Corona would begin.

But that didn’t happen. 

“What?!” Varian shouts as anger and frustration began to boil in his stomach shoving up his goggles to make sure he was seeing this correctly. It was still intact and there was no indication that his drill did anything to help. No, this can’t be right! “Why!?”

Wait, of course! He just needs to do it longer. Yeah! That’s why. He simply didn’t drill long enough. Patience. Science requires patience. 

Starting up the drill, Varian began to drill once more this time fear and desperation beginning to claw up his spine sinking into his skin. Everything began to drown out as he slammed the drill into the amber over and over again.

No…

Noo…

_Nooo!_

Varian pulled the drill away and there was still nothing. 

The drill with a tip that was none other than Rapunzel’s unbreakable hair did nothing to shatter the amber. The embodiment of the Sundrop did nothing. 

“I just… I-I don’t understand!” he couldn’t help but stammer out his confusion and disparity and clutched his head. “Why won’t it…”

Maybe he just missed it?

Scrambling for a closer look, it only proves the futility of his results… like everything else he tried.

There was nothing. 

Not even the tiniest of change in the amber. 

“Her hair! It… It should’ve cut through it! Why didn’t it work?” Varian racked his brain for answers as he slammed his fists on the amber as the familiar feeling of despair began to crawl back up his spine again.

_‘If only you did as your father told you.’_

_‘You only destroy things.’_

_‘You can never fix anyone’s problems. You can’t even fix your own.’_

“No! No!” Varian denied as he scrambled to seek another solution in his head.

Come on, Varian! Think!

Something!

Anything!

But he already tried everything at his disposal. Everything in his lab… every single concoction he could dream up to shatter the amber.

Nothing worked. 

_‘You did this all for nothing, Varian.’_

None of his inventions worked. 

_‘Your inventions that are supposed to help people only cause trouble.’_

None of his alchemic compounds worked.

_‘You made the wrong decision again.’_

Varian’s eyes widened before he shook his head in denial.

“I wasn’t wrong!” he swore as he wiped away the tears welling up in his eyes. “It’s not my fault!”

_‘But what if it is?’_

It’s not! Varian vehemently denied as he began to search for some sort of scapegoat but his eyes caught the amber that had been growing where the Queen was. 

She’s gone!

_‘Be glad she is. Or else she would have been trapped like your father. And this time it would really be your fault.’_

Those words drove and dug into his heart as guilt began to claw at him.

No! She… She deserved it!

_‘Oh really? What did the Queen ever do to you?’_

And that’s when Varian froze. 

The first time in a while… he hesitated. He actually hesitated. 

His body was frozen in place as waves of guilt began to crash into him.

He was about to let that happen to the Queen.

She… she didn’t help him…

_‘Oh? Just because she was not in the kingdom is not a good enough excuse?’_

What about the Sundrop flower?

_‘The king was secretly keeping it in the vault. Not her.’_

She doesn’t actually care.

_‘Then why did she even try to talk you out of this despite the many lines you crossed?’_

_‘You saw the look in her eyes… she wanted to help you.’_

_‘But you didn’t trust her.’_

Varian paused before he glanced behind him to see them all hugging together like a family.

A family he would have torn apart. Just like he did to his- 

NO! 

Varian didn't do anything to his father. This wasn’t Varian’s fault! It was Rapunzel’s fault! She didn’t come that day to save his father! If only she had kept her promise!

_‘Is it really Rapunzel’s fault that your dad couldn’t be saved or is it your fault because you carelessly spilled the serum all over the black rocks?’_

It wasn’t his fault!

Varian wanted to scream and tear out his hair in pure frustration.

If only these stupid black rocks never showed up then this! This would have never happened!

Wait…

The black rocks. 

Sure, the scroll mentions that the rocks are some ancient darkness but…

The scroll depicted the sun had dropped a single drop of sunlight to Earth and that sprung forth the Sundrop flower. 

Shouldn’t that mean there was a source to these black rocks? That could be the only explanation as to why the rocks kept reappearing. There was no way that the moon could keep producing drops of moonlight to the ground to produce these rocks.

Besides, he had seen it himself that it grew during the daylight as well and nothing had dropped from the sky.

There had to be a source to these rocks. 

Solve the mystery of the black rocks, and he could get rid of the amber that was encasing his father. 

Varian glanced back at the royal family who, by the way, was oh so lovingly hugging as if he wasn’t just bawling out his eyes moments ago. Oh yes, leave the crying child in despair and grieving over the fact he wasn’t able to free his father. 

That goes to show how little they actually care about others who weren’t their beloved close ones.

Anger surged up in him before he mentally scolded himself.

This was not the time for this. If he wants to get to the bottom of the black rocks, he couldn’t afford to waste his time on revenge on Corona. His father came first and that takes precedence.

He will just have to settle for taking his revenge on Corona for later. 

Pushing himself up once more as determination began to build inside of him, Varian quickly darted away and back underground once more...

If he was going to find more about these black rocks that tore his family apart, he needed to move fast and keep them busy.

Slipping below, he found his specialty made automaton. It was designed for him to be able to pilot it, however he did design an autopilot just in case. It was a bit of a shame that he wouldn’t be able to test this out himself, but he was out of time. 

Activating the autopilot, Varian hopped out of it and glanced back. They would be busy for a while. 

And now, he needed to move fast. 

Hearing the screams, Varian peeked ensuring nobody was in the workshop anymore. 

The coast is clear. 

He popped out from his hideout and quickly piled up all his important papers regarding anything to do with the rocks and the Sundrop before shoving it into his backpack. He then proceeded to grab the most important chemicals he thought he would need the most. He couldn’t take everything, but this will have to do.

Varian turned to head back into the tunnels before pausing and glancing back outside. 

There he could see Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cassandra all facing the massive automaton he left for them. 

However, his gaze suddenly found itself locked with the Queen’s eyes. She didn’t say a word and neither did he. 

And for a few seconds, Varian couldn’t move and neither could she. He wanted to apologize to her. If he had known that would have happened...

No, stop getting emotion, Varian. You have things to do!

Varian mentally scolded himself and forced himself to tear away from her gaze before slid away into the shadows. 

He swore he heard the Queen’s voice so he grabbed out one of his balls full of his alchemical concoction and slipped below into the tunnels. He slid down the ladder before throwing the ball at the trap door sealing it shut with goo.

There was no way they would be getting down here this way.

With that, Varian turned and began to run through the tunnels. 

He needed a huge head start and can’t stop moving for the next several days no matter what. Actually, he can’t stop moving. Not now, or ever. 

Because he knew that he was forever cemented as a villain in the eyes of Corona and they would never forgive him. 

However, it will be all worth it once his father is free… right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was mostly set up, but I felt it was very important to show off the divergence and Varian's own thoughts during this. How this all led to the divergence that could have possibly happened if the circumstances were right. I mean, a year without dealing with Rapunzel, Varian still had a good nature deep down as shown during the first episode of Season 3 where he already realizes his mistakes and wants to amend for them, however he doesn't think anyone would forgive him. It proves he was still good however deep it may be. It was just during Season 1, his good-natured side was repressed by his anger and well isolation for months. Anyways, I'll stop rambling and I hope you enjoy this chapter. See you all in the next chapter.


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian realizes that spontaneously running out of the kingdom with no plans is a pretty bad idea...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for the kudos and comments! I am glad you guys like this very self-indulgent fanfiction.

Finishing up painting in her journal, Rapunzel set her brush to the side as her stomach twisted and churned into knots. It depicted herself holding onto the rocks and destroying the last and large automaton Varian had left for them. 

They won against him and she would normally feel very happy, however…

Pascal let out a concerned squeal as he stared up at her with wide eyes. 

“I know Pascal,” she let out a sigh before scooping him up. “We did win, but…”

The door flung open as Eugene stepped in with a wide grin plastered across his face. Rapunzel couldn’t help as a small smile grew on her face seeing him. He always made her feel better no matter how bad the situation may be. 

“Heya, Blondie!” Eugene greeted as he revealed a cupcake he had been hiding behind his back strolling over to her. “You know, we never got to celebrate your birthday or eat cake? Like, that’s the second-best part about a birthday party.”

Rapunzel couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and let Pascal climb onto her shoulder

“And what’s the best part?” she couldn’t help but take the bait.

“Obviously presents,” Eugene replied with a wide grin before handing her the plate. “I know it’s late but Happy birthday, Rapunzel.”

“Thank you, Eugene.” Rapunzel then paused before glancing down at the cupcake. Memories of her birthday flashed before her eyes. 

Fighting against a transformed and monstrous version of Ruddiger. Saving her mother who had been kidnapped. Having to fight against those automatons and the one person behind it all… 

Her appetite had disappeared, and she reluctantly set it to the side. 

“What? I thought you love cupcakes?” Eugene asked with confusion written across his face.

“It’s not that,” Rapunzel assured before looking off to the side. 

Eugene took the chance to sneak a glance down at the journal and the pieces quickly slotted into place. He couldn’t blame her. This all happened on her birthday. The day that was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, however it was ruined again. 

“Look, it’s fine. We are fine,” Eugene tried to reassure the love of his life. “I know some pretty bad things happened, but we defeated the kid. We have guards posted at his home and all around Corona. He can’t do anything against us now.”

“You may say that, but…” Rapunzel trailed off with uncertainty. Varian was able to get the automaton past the guards and the fact he was able to kidnap her mother right under their noses? Who knows what Varian was thinking this time around? She glanced back at the paper. “Varian escaped. My mom saw him with a backpack and then he ran off. I thought he was going to attack us again, but he didn’t. He just disappeared! I don’t get it.”

Rapunzel had every right to be on edge. Everyone was on edge ever since there was no sign of Varian after he sent out that automaton. 

Nothing. 

After raiding his home, they found nothing that could even hint to where he ran off to. The papers that were strewn across his desk were gone. There was nothing to exactly point out why Varian chose to abandon his home and base. The majority of his things were still there as well, which suggested Varian wasn’t planning on abandoning his home. 

Cassandra had suggested that Varian may have gone back to the castle for some reason that they didn’t know. So, they charged right back to the castle only to find nothing. 

There were still no reports about Varian’s whereabouts. 

Nothing at all.

However, it won’t do anyone any good to just keep on brewing and waiting. 

“Hey, look on the bright side…” Eugene trailed off as he racked his brain for something. Come on! Do it for the Princess! 

Ah ha! He got it!

“You are no longer grounded, and we are going to go on an adventure to find your destiny!” He couldn’t help but begin to praise himself. He did such a good job! You go, Eugene! This was usually Rapunzel’s specialty, but hey he can do it too! 

“But what about Varian?” she couldn’t help but ask as doubt clouded her eyes. “What if he suddenly decides to attack Corona while we are away? Or what if he decides to kidnap my mom again?! Or what if he decides to trap everyone in that amber-like he was about to do with my mom?!”

“Whoa, whoa, calm down, Rapunzel.” Eugene placed a hand on her shoulder and whipped up his best comforting smile. “We are taking a week to pack up to go on the journey. If you don’t feel comfortable leaving by then, we can wait a little bit longer before we leave.”

Rapunzel blinked for a few moments before a smile grew on her face. 

“Yeah. That sounds like a good plan.” Though, she couldn’t help but turn and look out the window with a lingering thought. 

Where was Varian and what was he up to?

* * *

So, uh... it turns out that spontaneously deciding to run away to chase after some mysterious and magical black rocks is a pretty bad idea. It is easily one of Varian’s worst ideas.

It is clear how bad of an idea it is considering the fact he had tracked several miles from the walls of Corona before he realized that he never packed any food. 

Good job, Varian.

_ Good job. _

He should have thought of this sooner. That way, he could have planned this out more thoroughly and gathered supplies. 

However, there was nothing he could do now. 

Varian could only move on.

Unfortunately, this meant he had to backtrack to Corona. You know, the place that he had just kidnapped their Queen, threatened their Princess, and all sorts of things. 

No biggie. 

It’s not like he was a fugitive of the kingdom or anything.

Oh wait-  _ he was.  _

Varian was sitting in the bushes away from his home that was surrounded with guards. Exactly what he expected considering what happened. He pulled out the list of items he needed for his trip. 

First, Varian needed food to take with him. No matter what, he needed food in order to survive. Well, at least enough food to help him make it to the next town. Since he was traveling by himself, he only had to worry about himself and his own fatigue. He probably could cover ground faster than most would expect. 

However, that also meant he needed money. One way or another, Varian needed a way to get enough money to follow however far these black rocks will lead him and the food won’t last him the entire trip. Not to mention, Varian needed money to go through some places. Fees were a necessary cost. 

Another thing that he needed was a map. Varian knew some places outside of Corona due to his father mentioning to him and Varian’s own research into the outside world. However, Varian still needed an actual map. It would help document where the rocks were leading him and he may be able to guess where the rocks will lead him and possibly cut down on travel time.

Also, if possible, Varian needed that scroll piece. That would be vital in helping to solve the mystery behind the rocks. Varian did manage to get back the scroll when he was talking to Rapunzel on the boat and suggesting to steal the Sundrop flower. However in his spontaneous decision to run out of his workshop, he sort of forgot to grab the scroll piece which the guards confiscated and took it back to the castle.

What? He was in a rush! He thought it was with all the papers on his desk, but he forgot he had thrown it back in the graphtyc and kept it to the side for safekeeping. Who knew that would end up backfiring when he was rushing out of the workshop to hunt down the origin of the black rocks… 

Speaking of blackrocks, Varian noticed that the rocks’ orientation had suddenly changed and all began to point in a certain direction.

It was  _ totally _ not suspicious at all, and it  _ totally _ had nothing to do with a certain blond haired Princess.

Yeah, right. 

Anyone can see that was clearly not the case. 

The miraculous and magical Sundrop had to do something to cause the rocks to act the way it did. Her hair had a physical reaction to the black rocks. Not to mention, it shared the same unbreakable property. 

Rapunzel must have done something with the rocks, but he wasn’t sure what exactly it was. Unfortunately, he probably wouldn’t be able to get that information easily. 

Varian could easily duplicate the truth serum. It wasn’t hard and the ingredients were easy to get. However, the chances of his plan working twice in a row was highly unlikely. He will just simply have to settle for it being an unknown event for the time being. 

Varian closed his small notebook as he peeked out from his hiding spot. 

As he thought, they had posted guards around his home. They probably were still looking for him.

Varian couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he pulled out a binoculars taking a peek inside. 

Just as he suspected. They didn’t post guards inside his home. 

Varian couldn’t help but roll his eyes at their incompetence. No wonder why there were so many criminals in Corona and could move around without suspicion. Luckily for him, he had more odds in his favor since this was his home which he knew like the back of his hand. Also, he already had practice moving around without anyone noticing him. 

Careful not to draw attention to himself, Varian snuck over to a rather inconspicuous tree. Anyone would have naturally passed by it. Even Varian passed by this tree without a second thought before. However after looking further into the tree, Varian found out not only was this tree not native to Corona, but it also was a secret entrance into the tunnels. 

It was a neat little thing he discovered when documenting the tunnels in his village and its correlation above his village. Who knew when planning to give his village running hot water would give him the key to giving him the upper hand against all of Corona. 

They never appreciated or even remotely liked Varian and only tolerated him because his father was the village leader. It was clear how much they really liked Varian considering they all turned their back on him once his father was trapped. 

It really showed how blind Varian was to everyone around. 

Well now, at least it cemented that he will never do anything for this kingdom ever again. 

Varian walked through the tunnels not even the slightest bit phased by the traps that were in these tunnels. He can’t deny these traps inspired him to create the trap that caught Ruddiger. 

How funny that the trap that was originally meant to help with the pest control leads him to keeping said pest?

That’s when everything came to a screeching halt.

Wait…

“Ruddiger!” he shouted as he ran his fingers through his hair. 

No! 

No no no!

How could he forget his best friend?! What was wrong with him?

Okay, this officially makes this the worst idea ever!

Never make a spontaneous decision again. Nope. Never. 

Varian will plan things out so he doesn’t just go strolling out the town without his best friend by his side. 

Congratulations Varian, you officially made the biggest mistake ever. You left your best friend in your haste to chase after the black rocks. 

He only hoped that Ruddiger was still inside his home or else he would be turning Corona on it’s head to find him. 

Dashing down the tunnel, Varian scrambled to the trapdoor to his lab and quickly pulled out the neutralizing particle and sprinkled on the goo. 

Good, now that was unsealed. 

Slowly, Varian peeked inside making sure there was nobody inside. He may have missed them looking inside and besides, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Good, nobody was here.

Varian crawled out of the trapdoor before carefully closing it as silent as possible. He didn’t want to alert the guards outside after all.

He couldn’t help but pause seeing the amber encasing his father. 

Varian walked til he was in front of his father staring up at him. 

“Dad…” he whispered under his breath as he reached out and touched the amber’s cool surface. “I will get you out of there no matter what. I will make you proud of me. Just please wait for me. I have to go follow the rocks to find out where they come from.”

Of course, his father couldn’t say anything back to him. Varian wished he could read the letter his father left him, but he couldn’t. All he knew was that it was addressed to him.

Reluctantly, he tore himself once again from where his father was and onto his next task. He had to focus. 

Taking his time, Varian began to go through a variety of items in his lab. At least they didn’t just throw stuff on the ground. Seriously, some of this stuff was extremely dangerous if they were accidentally mixed together or incorrectly handled.

At least they had the sense not to do that.

Varian began to carefully rethink about the items he took before putting back a few in favor of others. He could get more common chemicals if he needed to, but the rarer ones would be much more difficult to come across. 

Then, he doubled checked his desk ensuring he didn’t leave any important papers there. 

Once he finished, Varian paused before glancing over his shoulder to stare at his father. 

Well, there was one more thing he could do before heading up to his room. 

Varian walked over to see where the other amber had grown.. The same place he held the Queen and nearly gave her the exact same situation his father was in. He may hate Corona, but he would never wish this on his worst enemies. 

It’s just that he was sure that it would work. 

It’s not his fault that it didn’t work...

Varian pulled down the tarp before walking back over to his dad and threw it up covering his father once more. He hoped his father wouldn’t mind the darkness.

Slowly, he turned to exit the lab before nearly setting off his trap. 

Ah, that would be a bad idea to keep up, wouldn’t it?

Carefully, Varian dismantled the trap. He didn’t want any critters to accidentally activate it and have no way of escaping. 

Maybe he should dismantle the ones around the fields just in case as well.

Yeah, that probably would be a good idea. He could also use the time to gather some food to take with him. 

Varian opened the door carefully making sure not to let it creak too loudly. He then paused before looking back in his lab once more.

_ “This is for you. You can safely do your experiments and projects here,” his father’s voice said with a hint of pride and love laced in his tone.  _

_ “R-Really? This is for me?” Varian at the time was in pure shock and honestly thought he was dreaming. His father, who had disapproved of his experiments and inventions, had cleared out the entire basement for him to use? “B-But I thought this is where you were storing your stuff and the food and-” _

_ “It’s alright, Son,” he assured as Quirin placed a hand on Varian’s shoulder. “It is worth it, if you can have a place to work on your alchemy.” _

A small smile grew on Varian’s face at the old memory that cruelly twisted the knife in his heart but also spread warmness across his body. His father always cared about him no matter what... it's no wonder he pushed him out of the way.

“I love you, Dad. I will make you proud of me,” he whispered before closing the door on his lab that he was sure he was not going to see for a very long time. 

* * *

Varian walked up the stairs and to his room gathering extra clothes and other supplies he will need. His bag was starting to get heavy, but luckily, his father always made sure he was at least somewhat fit enough. 

Now the last thing he needed to get things from…

His father’s room. 

Varian knew his father had a map in there. It was a rather detailed map, though it was rather old considering some of the places on the map clearly didn’t exist anymore. 

He walked up to his father’s room about to push the door fully open when he froze.

Wait…

Varian knew he always closed the doors completely, especially his father’s. 

There was no way a draft could simply push this door considering it swung into the room and it was too heavy to do so…

Stop it, Varian. He scolded himself. The guards had gone through his place and just left the door open. 

Stop being so paranoid.

With that, he flung the door open and walked inside ready to raid his father’s room.

“You know, its rude to walk into someone’s room without knocking,” a woman casually greeted.

Varian had to blink for a few moments staring at her. This white-haired lady who had half her face covered in red paint. 

That’s when it clicked into place. A stranger was in his home. A stranger came and invaded his home. 

He nearly was about to let out a shriek, but the woman had crossed the room and held out a finger to his mouth. 

“Shhh, don’t wanna alert the guards now do you?” she said with a raised eyebrow and friendly smile. 

Right… that would be a bad idea. 

Varian slowly nodded his head attempting to keep calm, but his heart was racing and he was panicking.

Who is this strange lady that is in his home?

Clearly, she was a well-trained warrior especially considering she crossed the room in a blink of an eye. Not to mention that large sword on her back… 

Varian had to be careful not to make a mistake around her. His alchemy did give his advantage in some cases, however against a warrior like her… it was clear that he was outclassed. 

The mysterious lady backed away and gave him a friendly smile. Clearly, she didn’t know who he was if she was giving him that kind of smile.

“Hello, Varian. I’m Adira. It’s nice to meet you,” she said before plopping back down on Quirin’s bed. “By the way, nice place.”

“Oh nice to meet you, my name is-” Varian cut himself off, realizing what she said.

Wait, she knew his name? 

A look of confusion crossed his face and he was about to ask how she knew his name, when he noticed something else that was far more interesting about her.

“That symbol…” Varian pointed to the symbol on her belt. It was the same comet shape symbol that was on his father’s chest. He tried to look into what that symbol meant, however he failed in finding any clues on it. 

“Ah, yes. Your father, Quirin, was part of the same group as I am,” she confirmed his suspicions. 

“Wait, was?” Varian couldn’t help but questioned. “Wait, what group? You guys were together in this? How long and-“

“There’s no time for that,” she cut him off and waved off the subject much to Varian’s annoyance. “We have more important matters to discuss.”

“Like what?” 

She pulled out a parchment paper and unrolled the scroll as Varian’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped in shock. 

No way…

That was a piece of the scroll except it was a different piece! It was different from the one his father had.

There was more to the scroll!

“I knew it!” Varian gasped and couldn’t help but ramble on. “I knew there were more pieces to it and judging by how it’s ripped, there could easily be one or two more pieces. Oh man, this is so exciting! Oh, please you have to give it to me.” 

“Ah ah ah,” she chided him with a click of her tongue. “I can’t allow you to have it.”

Immediately, Varian’s mood soured. This was a lead on the black rocks and the mystery behind it. 

“Why not?” He demanded not hesitating to let the malice drip into his tone. 

“Oooh so scary,” Adira feigned in a flat and monotone voice. “Look Varian. I don’t hold anything against you even if you did attack the Sundrop and all. You did help her to realize her destiny, so I’ll let that pass for now. However, I can’t allow you to interfere with her destiny.”

“Destiny? Do you mean her connection between the black rocks?” That was the only thing that made sense…

“Indeed,” Adira confirmed. She held the scroll before pointing to what looked like a castle. “Her path will lead her to the Dark Kingdom.” 

“Wait, wait, wait a second. You are referring to  _ THE  _ Dark Kingdom? The same one where supposedly a dark and ancient evil drove everyone from there?” Varian asked. That couldn’t be right… right? That was just some fairytale his father made up. 

“Oh? Quirin told you that much? He must have trusted you a lot.” Varian thought Adira sounded surprised though it was hard to tell with the lack of change in her tone. “Though the fact he is currently trapped inside that thing doesn’t exactly bold well for his situation. Tell me, how did he get trapped in there? Was it you?”

“No!” Varian shouted in denial. “It wasn’t my fault.”

This was not his fault. The only reason why his father was trapped still was all because Rapunzel’s fault!

_ ‘Isn’t you who made the wrong assumption though? You should have realized that the amber is a byproduct of the black rocks and has different properties from the rocks.’ _

Varan really wanted to strangle his subconscious that suddenly decided to chime in, but things simply don't work that way. 

“Suit yourself,” she shrugged it off, not even the slightest bit phased. “Though, keep it down. I wouldn’t mind sleeping outside, though I think you would be in trouble if they found you here.”

Varian immediately shut up. Right, that would be bad. 

“Sorry,” he grumbled out. 

“Good. You made the only decision there is… the right one,” she affirmed with a nod. 

Varian rolled his eyes and let out a small scoff before he walked over to his father’s chest. 

“If you can’t let me take the scroll piece, can I copy it down?” Varian asked looking through the chest.

Adira tilted her head in confusion. “How come? Surely a kid like you can’t understand a single word on here.”

“But I can!” Varian insisted before he pulled off his backpack and pulled out the notes on the scroll piece. “It took me a while, but I discovered the Sundrop kept the rocks away which originated from an ancient evil. I wasn’t able to translate much further than that as I don’t have all the pieces of the scroll...” 

Adira’s interest was caught as she sat up straighter. Even some of the best scholars in the Dark Kingdom had difficulty translating even a single piece of the scroll, yet this kid had translated with only an incomplete piece and by himself. She was impressed. She vaguely knew of the information the scroll held, however it was clear that it would pale in comparison to the actual translation. 

Adira was planning on giving this scroll piece to the embodiment of the Sundrop, but… 

She has to make sure first.

“Could the Princess read the scroll?” 

Varian had to stop himself from going into a full blown laughter. Rapunzel? Translating the scroll? He let out a scoff of disbelief and shook his head. His chest puffed out with pride as a large smirk grew on his face. 

“Oh? You think that Rapunzel-“ He nearly spat out her name, but held back. “-could decipher the scroll? Of course not. Nobody in Corona can translate this scroll except me.”

Adira glanced at the scroll. She does need to show the scroll piece to them to assure them that she wasn’t lying, however it is useless to give them when they can’t even understand it. Besides, the fully translated scroll may hold the information that may tell them what exactly happens when the Sundrop and the Moonstone were combined. 

“How about this? Give me a bit of time and I’ll give the scroll to you instead,” Adira proposed. 

Varian’s heart soared. “Really? You will give it to me instead of Rapunzel?”

“I wouldn’t lie,” Adira assured. “However, I do have to show the scroll piece to the Princess first. Once I do that, I’ll give the scroll piece to you. After all, you are the only one who can translate the scroll.” 

Varian wanted to start cheering and do his victory dance. 

Take that Rapunzel! Adira is choosing the Alchemist over the Sundrop! Oh man, Varian would definitely rub it in her face if he ever got the chance to. Someone trusted him over the Princess.

“Thank you so much, Adira!” Varian beamed brightly at her. 

“No problem,” she replied, setting the scroll down. “Though feel free to copy the scroll until I can actually give it to you. It probably would be faster for you to work that way.”

“Of course! Thank you!” Varian pulled out his notebook and began to copy the scroll down. He didn’t have a copy of the other piece of the scroll which meant he still had to grab it. It will be vital in helping him to decode this next section. 

Adira watched as Varian copied down the scroll as he even began to vaguely note some characters he knew and theories on what exactly the scroll was talking about before he even began to actually translate it. 

Well, it looks like he truly wasn’t lying. 

A smile grew on her face watching him completely nerd out over the scroll. Despite being the person who had single handedly attacked the kingdom and had the upperhand in majority of the situation (which Adira as a warrior held great respect for his tactics), he was still just a kid. 

Adira couldn’t help but wonder what exactly turned this kid against Corona and why they thought it would be a good idea to lose one of their most valuable assets to the kingdom…

* * *

After finishing copying the scroll, Varian grabbed other items in his father’s room. He paused seeing his father’s cape that had the comet symbol on. He pulled it off before stuffing it into his pocket. That would be the easiest thing for him to carry and keep with him as a reminder of what his goal is. 

“By the way, do you even know how to survive on the road?” Adira casually decided to drop the question. 

“Uh, I’ve done a little bit of camping before with my dad,” Varian meekly offered. Though Quirin did the hunting part as Varian couldn’t stand the sight of blood. 

“So basically no,” Adira concluded and Varian couldn’t help but sulk a little. “Come back when you are ready to leave, I’ll help you out for a bit. At least teach you enough so you can make it to the next town.”

Varian couldn’t help but feel uneasy as he stepped back cautiously gripping onto one of his alchemical balls. “Why? Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?” 

“Why shouldn’t I?” Adira asked as confusion seeped into her tone. “You are a kid. Your dad’s trapped in the amber and nobody else is going to help you. So why not?”

“How can I trust you? How can I be sure you will keep your word?” Varian asked. Everyone else turned their backs on him… How could he just trust some stranger? 

“You can’t be sure,” Adira admitted with a shrug. “But I am the most trustworthy person you got on your side right now. After all, attacking Corona doesn’t really help you out with making allies.”

So she did know. Then, why does she bother treating him the way she does? Why is she so nice to him?

“Because I respect your skills and see no reason why you should be locked up if you can help me out,” Adira casually spoke up, catching the poor Alchemist off guard.

“D-Did I say that aloud?” He couldn’t help but stutter out embarrassed. He thought he made sure to die down that habit. 

“Nope. I’m just awesome like that,” Adira smirked at him. “Be sure to make sure you are fully packed before you are ready to leave.”

“Right…” Varian trailed off before setting down his backpack. He had a majority of what he needed and hauling it around would only slow him down. “But thank you… for trusting me.”

Adira tilted her head a little confused. “Your skills speak for themselves. It would be stupid for anyone not to trust you.”

“Even if things tend to go wrong?” 

Adira shook her head. “You can’t make any progress if you don’t make a mistake first.”

In a way, Varian appreciated the honesty Adira was showing him. She didn’t try to make up some weak and pathetic excuse to trust her, but flat out said that there is no guarantee. However, she was right about being the only one he could currently rely upon. 

In the wall of Corona, Varian could manage by himself with Ruddiger by his side. However beyond the walls, Varian knew he would need all the help he can get.

Speaking of...

“By the way, have you seen a raccoon around?”

“Racoon? No. Why do you ask?” Adira didn’t want to mention to him that if she typically saw a critter like that, she would typically hunt it down for it’s protein. 

“Ruddiger is my best friend,” Varian said with a small smile before rubbing the back of his neck. “I thought he would be around here.”

“I haven’t seen him,” Adira repeated. 

Varian let out a sigh. Whelp, time to go turn a kingdom upside down because there was no way he was going to leave without him by his side.

“It’s alright. I’ll be back, Adira. Thank you,” he nodded his head in appreciation as a plan had already begun to formulate in his head. Varian wanted his best friend by his side before leaving Corona. 

“See ya later, Varian.”

With that, Varian set out to go find his best friend and gather some last-minute supplies. However, he already had an inkling suspicion on where to check first. 

Guess it’s time to infiltrate the castle… _ again. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, as you can see that there are already changes. Like some things still stayed the same as in the black rocks finally converging on Rapunzel and they are about to go on a journey. However, they will be delayed on their journey and Adira is not planning on handing the scroll piece to them. Varian is going to have the piece eventually and other things will change... Yes, Varian will be leaving the kingdom shortly just he needs to better prepare for the trip instead of just stuffing everything into a bag and leaving.


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varian isn't too happy they took his best friend.

If Varian was honest, he didn’t have an actual plan on what he was planning on doing when he found Ruddiger. It just depended on what exactly was going on at the moment. 

However, he knew that he will get his friend back no matter what. 

Luckily for Varian, Corona never seemed to figure out how he snuck the automaton back past the guards and without alerting a single person. Then again, it was clear that they were unable to outwit the alchemist. 

Varian had traversed through the tunnels with Rapunzel; however, he took it upon himself to carefully document the tunnels and the notable traps that laid around before that. He simply had to travel with whichever route Rapunzel chose. 

Though, he still couldn’t account for all the traps. 

Varian paused as he glanced up at the ladder that was his previous entrance into the castle before. This led to a storage closet that seemed rarely attended to. It was close enough to the throne room for Varian to sneak the presents into the room, yet far enough where he doesn’t have to worry about immediately being found by the King and Queen. 

Though, he was more concerned if he ran into Rapunzel, Eugene, or Cassandra. They were the biggest threats to his plan. Though the guards can pose threats if he wasn’t careful enough. 

Varian clutched tightly to his makeshift staff. He was planning on upgrading it before the kingdom but forget that! He had a kingdom to throw on its head so he could find Ruddiger. Slipping out of the tunnels, he made his way to the door before pressing his ear to the door. 

Nothing. 

Peeking his head out the door, Varian checked down the hallway. Yep, just as he thought. The coast is clear. 

A smirk grew on his face. 

Time to go hunting. 

Varian slipped down the hallway, careful not to make a sound. First, he needed a distraction. A natural distraction that wouldn’t alarm anyone in the castle. Fewer guards around would mean it would be easier for him to search for Ruddiger.

He was about to turn the corner however he caught sight of a handmaiden mopping the floors. She probably was going to be there for a while which meant that he couldn’t go down this way.

Wait a second… Back when it was the Exposition of Sciences, Cassandra got assigned to a certain guard duty due to the floors being wet, if he had recalled the details correctly. That unknowingly had taken out quite a few guards and had spread their guards even thinner than usual. 

Varian honestly did feel quite bitter and disappointed that day. Cassandra turned her back on him and didn’t fulfill her side of the deal. He helped her and got nothing in turn, like usual. Though at least on the bright side, helping her had given him the layout of the castle which he used to his advantage when he infiltrated the castle. 

Varian pulled out the bath bombs from his apron and the fire agent that helped to dry the floors (which apparently didn’t completely dry it). 

Either way, it would work out for him

Varian carefully snuck down a few hallways down where it was clean already, but there was nobody around. Just he had to move quickly. 

Throwing the bath bombs and the drying agent, he made sure several hallways were wet before he waited. 

Thud!

“Ow!”

Thud!

“Wet floors?! Who does such a thing!”

A grin grew on his face imagining their faces. Seriously, they call themselves guards. It was hilarious for them to slip and hurt themselves again. 

Though, he had no time to laugh about that. He had to go find Ruddiger. 

However, he supposed he could set up a few more traps to keep the idiots busy. 

He supposed dropping by the kitchen wouldn’t hurt. He can even set up a little present for them as thanks for stealing his best friend... though if it wasn't the case, it still would be fine either way. 

* * *

“Stop giving me that look. You know I have no choice.” 

Cassandra stared at the raccoon who was currently tied to her bed. Ruddiger stared up at her with big and wide eyes and let out a few pitiful chitters. Yes, he may have helped Pascal get free which in turn saved the Queen from the amber, but he also worked as an accomplice to Varian. 

So, Cassandra had snatched him and brought him back to the castle despite his squirming. 

If Varian was still out there, there was no doubt that the alchemist was coming back for his pet. When Varian had introduced Ruddiger to both Rapunzel and herself, he had the same look in his eyes as Rapunzel did when she talked about Pascal. 

Varian was extremely devoted to Ruddiger, but it didn’t seem like he had any hesitation in turning his best friend into a monster. It was strange to see the raccoon still run off and back to Old Corona despite the fact his owner turned him into a monster. 

Ruddiger tugged on the leash and Cassandra sent him her best death glare. It effectively froze the critter and he stopped tugging on the leash. 

“This is just temporary. We just need to figure out what Varian is up to and capture him,” Cassandra assured. 

The raccoon let out an annoyed huff before pacing around in circles clearly restless. Cassandra did try to give him some food, but he refused them. It’s not like she could force him. He was still a wild animal like Owl just… not trained. 

Ruddiger padded over to her weapons closet before plopping himself down in front of it and turned to stare at Cassandra.

“What?” she asked, not hiding the annoyance in her voice. The raccoon simply sat there and patiently waited. 

You got to be kidding…

The raccoon wanted to see inside her weapons closet.

“No, there are a lot of dangerous things inside,” she denied. 

Ruddiger let out a series of chitters and pointed at the closet. He seemed very adamant about seeing inside the closet. 

A groan escaped Cassandra’s lips. She can’t believe she was doing this. She stormed over to the closet and flung it open.

“There! Happy?” she asked. 

Ruddiger eagerly nodded his head as he went closer to the weapons and began to inspect each one taking her by surprise. She thought that he was going to simply run into the closet or carelessly cause a mess. However, he was being very mindful of each object in the closet. 

Then again, Ruddiger was living with the alchemist whose existence was the definition of danger. Yeah, he probably learned to be careful. 

The raccoon paused before he pointed to something hanging up in her closet. The purple element that was attached to a necklace hung in her closet as a solemn reminder of the kid he used to know.

“Don’t you know what that is?” Cassandra muttered. “That’s Cassadrium, a new element your master named after me. He was trying to impress me.”

Ruddiger seemed to sense something off as he moved closer and gently patted her leg. Weird, a raccoon is trying to comfort her. 

“I’m fine,” she insisted though she couldn’t help but glance back at the element. 

It represented the first time anyone had looked at her and saw value in who she is and what she did. Most of the time, she was overshadowed by Rapunzel or her own abilities were downplayed by the fact she was nothing more than a lady-in-waiting. Then Varian comes along and puts on this whole presentation to impress her. Sure, he wanted her to see something in him, but doesn’t just prove how much he valued her? 

But then…

The look of pure hatred he directed towards Eugene and herself when discovering him in the vault with Rapunzel. 

The Varian she knew was gone. 

After listening to Rapunzel and the reasons why Varian was doing what he was doing, Cassandra knew he was being unreasonable. He threw a hissy fit because Rapunzel couldn’t help him when there was a blizzard about to end Corona. 

There was nothing Rapunzel could have done. 

It wasn’t right for him to blame her for what she couldn’t have done. The kingdom- Corona needed to put first.

So, why did Varian send that look of pure hatred towards all of them? If it was simply because they were close to Rapunzel, she could understand however he shouldn’t have looked that furious. 

Whatever, she was overthinking things. 

“It doesn’t matter. Varian is a danger to the kingdom, and he doesn’t deserve any pity,” Cassandra huffed. 

Ruddiger let out a hiss startling her. His fur all puffed up and he tried to look as big and intimidating as possible. He looked quite angry at her for saying such a thing. 

“What? The kid deserves it. He knew what he was doing was wrong yet did it anyway. He is dangerous,” Cassandra shot back. However, Ruddiger continued to hiss and glare at Cassandra. 

“Varian turned his back on you. He left you. Hell, he turned you into a monster against your will,” Cassandra pointed out. “So why are you still so loyal to him? Why help us if you are so loyal to him?”

Ruddiger hissed at Cassandra even more so and shook his head in denial as if he knew Varian wasn’t going to leave him and that Varian didn’t betray him. In fact, he clearly won’t tolerate Cassandra bad-mouthing him. She couldn’t understand the raccoon. 

It just didn’t make sense. 

“Whatever,” she let out a huff and rolled her eyes. 

“Cassandra!” Her door flung open as Stan peeked his head in. “There has been a small accident and with the majority of the guards still recovering, there’s an open guard assignment.”

Her eyes widened and sparkled in joy. This was her chance to permanently become a guard. Despite her accomplishments with leading the charge against Varian, she remained a lady-in-waiting. Her father assured her that this was only temporary and that if she can wait a little longer, she will be rewarded for her efforts.

Just prove herself one more time by going on this journey with Rapunzel as her guard. 

However, Cassandra was beginning to grow tired of waiting and proving herself. 

She was about to follow Stan when she paused and looked back at Ruddiger. She needed to keep an eye on him, but when will she get a chance like this ever again?

“Stay here,” Cassandra ordered before following Stan. She will just ask someone else to watch Ruddiger for her instead. Just until she was done with her guard duty. 

It should be fine. Ruddiger will only be alone for a little bit... There was no way Varian could grab Ruddiger and escape in that short period of time, right?

* * *

The first stop Varian had decided to go travel to was Rapunzel’s room. He wasn’t too worried about her being in her room, after all, she had left with Eugene into town which meant her room would be open to scavenge through. 

If he could find the graphtyc, he would be able to decipher both parts of the scroll and he had a feeling that it would be given to Rapunzel. If not, he had to go through a much more difficult process. 

Varian pressed his ear to the door ensuring that nobody was inside before peeking his head in. 

The coast is clear. 

Varian carefully closed the door before quickly scanning her room. 

“Ruddiger? Ruddiger?” Varian whispered out and searched for his raccoon friend. 

Come on, where was he?

Varian did a little bit of looking through the room but didn't see the graphtyc anywhere. Varian could go searching Rapunzel’s room more thoroughly, he couldn’t risk too much time out in the open. He needed to move quickly to find Ruddiger. He takes priority. 

Varian paused before looking back at Rapunzel’s room. 

Why does she get to have a happy ending and he couldn’t? 

It wasn’t fair. 

Rapunzel gets to come back to a happy and loving family with her boyfriend and best friend. 

And what does Varian have?

Nothing. 

Varian gritted his teeth wanting to tear this room to shreds. Break every single paintbrush he could find. Dissolve the paintings on the walls. Shred her sheets. 

Do anything and everything to ruin it. 

But Varian knew this would do nothing. It wouldn’t be a good enough revenge against the person who ruined his life.

_‘Pushing the blame on everyone but yourself. You know whose fault it truly is.’_

A bitter taste flooded his mouth before he forced himself to leave. He couldn’t risk them knowing he was here until he found Ruddiger. 

He closed the door before quickly making his way to Cassandra’s room. He doubted that Eugene would keep Ruddiger in his room, but maybe it wouldn’t hurt to check he supposed. It was along the way anyways. 

Varian had quickly made his way inside of Eugene’s room before doing a quick sweep of the room and leaving. No way was he staying if he didn’t need to. Varian needed to get to Cassandra’s room.

He really hopes that she wasn’t in there because he was most afraid of Cassandra facing her head to head. 

Sure, Rapunzel had her hair, but his alchemy could help him out. Though Cassandra was much more difficult since she fights close quarters putting himself at a disadvantage. If she closes the distance between them, he would surely lose. That’s just something he couldn’t afford at the moment.

If only he comes up with a formula that destroys metal…

Varian once again listened for anyone inside before he heard a familiar chitters. 

His hear immediately soared and he couldn’t help but scramble inside. 

“Ruddiger!” He gasped before realizing he made a mistake. 

Lance (if he recalled his name correctly) was sitting on the bed eating grapes as Ruddiger let out chitters staring up at Lance. 

“Uh…”

Varian pulled out a pink ball and threw it at Lance trapping him in goo. 

“Ah! He’s got the alchemy!” Lance squealed in fright. Varian couldn’t help but roll his eyes in annoyance. 

“Oh, will you be quiet,” Varian grumbled as he crossed the room before grabbing the grapes and shoving it in his mouth. 

He then turned his attention to Ruddiger who ran towards him, however the leash kept him from leaving. 

Of course. 

Varian kneeled down and untied the leash. 

“Sorry for leaving you,” Varian apologized before he scooped up and hugged Ruddiger tightly. The raccoon let out happy and cheerful chitters and snuggled right back. 

Ruddiger then climbed onto his shoulder as Varian nodded. This is exactly how things should be. 

“Okay time to-“ He froze in his spot seeing the Cassadrium in Cassandra’s weapon closet. 

She kept it after all this time? 

Varian shook his head and scolded himself. 

No that meant nothing! That didn’t mean a single thing. 

Storming over, Varian slammed the closet shut before glancing down at Lance and setting down a shaker next to him. 

“I would free you, but I would rather not get caught. So, see you later,” he said before standing up.

Lance spat out the grapes before glancing up at him.

“Wait! What are you doing? What’s your goal?” He asked. 

A grin grew on his face as he glanced back at Lance. 

“The same thing I’ve always been up to. I’m going to free my father and make him proud of me.” 

Lance raised an eyebrow and tilted his head. 

“But would your father truly be proud of you for doing all of this? Turning your back against Corona?” Lance asked as Varian’s heart stopped. 

‘You know it’s true… your father would be disappointed in you.’

“No! He would be proud of me!” Varian denied before glaring at him. “You don’t know anything about my father or me!”

“But you don’t know anything about me either,” Lance pointed out. 

Varian blinked before grumbling and turned his back. No, this was stupid! He couldn’t waste time arguing to Lance about this. He was just buying time for someone to arrive. 

“My father will be proud of me. He has to be,” Varian muttered. 

With that, Varian turned to run away as Lance began to shout. There was no doubt that the guards will be alerted to his position and come chasing after him. Despite Varian nearly overthrowing the kingdom, he knew he couldn’t stand a direct confrontation in his current unprepared state.

However, he got one thing on his side that they don’t. 

He had memorized the tunnel’s entrances that were in the castle which made it an easy getaway for him. Besides with Ruddiger by his side, he felt invincible. Nothing can and will stop him.

* * *

Varian managed to find his way back to Old Corona while grabbing much-needed supplies. It was harder to grab; however, the people of Corona were still recovering from his attack. Guards were spread thinner than usual which made it easier for him to grab anything he needed. 

Not to mention, many were still wary after the attack… though funny enough all Varian had to do was grab his mask and grey coat to walk around Corona. They never suspected that the person beneath the mask was none other than the same one they were all just fighting against. Then again, the former criminals that were now normal citizens of Corona made it easier for him to move around. 

He only had to ensure that Rapunzel never saw him. Then again considering the many times he had ventured into the town and the presents he left back at the castle, he was sure that the Princess and her little groupie of best friends were going to be busy for a long time. 

Varian walked through the streets forcing himself to stay calm and relaxed. Don’t act out of place and don’t act unusual. People will be suspicious of you if you do. 

Ruddiger had stayed closer to the shadows because there was simply no way for Varian to disguise him at the moment. Not to mention, he didn’t want to risk anyone harming him. 

Approaching the blacksmith in the middle of town, Varian pulled out a coin purse before pointing to the poles behind Xavier. 

“Ah, you have a keen eye,” the blacksmith unknowingly praised the enemy of the kingdom before grabbing the pole. “This is a durable copper plated pole that is quite durable though on the heavier side. How many would you like?”

Varian held up four fingers before speaking in a low and intimidating voice. “Four with different circumferences that would allow me to slide the pole in.”

“Interesting,” Xavier muttered before glancing at his poles. “I do believe I have what you are looking for in the back. Give me a moment.” 

Varian gave a nod before turning to look out at the plaza. Fewer people were wandering around after his attack. He couldn’t blame them after all, he was never captured and arrested yet. 

“You heard about that Wizard in Old Corona?” one lady whispered. 

Varian had to bite his tongue avoiding correcting her that he was an alchemist, not some “wizard.” It was science! It’s not his fault their minds couldn’t comprehend the wonders of alchemy.

“Wasn’t that the same one who attacked the Princess during the blizzard?” a man whispered. 

He didn’t attack Rapunzel that night! He only came to the castle in desperate need of help. Why does he get accused of attacking her when he did nothing wrong?! He was only there to ask for help yet it somehow twisted into a rumor of him attacking her. 

“Yeah, I don’t feel safe with all that magic he did. He attacked the guards with his familiar that he transformed with voodoo magic.”

“And he summoned golems from the ground!”

It only served to add fuel to Varian’s growing fury. It was not magic! It was alchemy! A science that he could explain, but nobody wanted to listen!

“He says that the king vilified him, but really? He is dangerous ever before this all happened.”

That’s when Varian froze. Seriously? They are taking the king’s word over his! Varian knew the truth, but they continued to turn a blind eye to it despite the evidence in front of them. Idiots.

“He ruined the science expo, didn’t he?”

That wasn’t his fault! That was the pompous and fake scientist who clearly didn’t know true and amazing science when he saw it. 

He invented a new element! A new element! Do you know how hard it is to element a new element and understand things the way he did? Of course not! They didn’t know anything about the true merits of alchemy. 

“Didn’t he destroy Old Corona on multiple occasions?”

That… It was just his experiments that went wrong sometimes. There were many times his experiments did go quite well, but people only wanted to focus on the bad things he has done.

Like he installed a running water system throughout his entire village. He later decided that hot running water would be a great idea to have since getting the water was good but getting hot water immediately would be nice. It wasn’t hard either. He simply had to change and modify the system to accommodate and create hot water. That was the part that went wrong. 

Funny how after they all mocked him and angrily shouted at him for blowing up their village, they came back to him and demanded they wanted the running water system back. 

They weren’t grateful at all. 

They never were. He sacrificed so much for them, yet his work was never appreciated. 

They didn’t care what he invented. They didn’t care what good he did. They never cared. 

All it takes is one mistake and they will all turn their backs on him. 

“And here you go,” Xavier said before placing down the poles. “That will be nine gold coins and seven silver coins.”

Thank god, he wanted to get out of here already. Varian pulled out ten gold coins and handed them over to him. Xavier went to grab the change as Varian patiently waited. 

“It does no one well to speak ill of others.” 

Those words that Xavier spoke caught Varian off guard. What? Why?

“What do you mean?” Varian asked, admittingly confused. Xavier had his respect in terms of his craftsmanship, however he tends to be too caught up with the magic aspect as well. 

“They are bad-mouthing a child,” Xavier said before closing the chest and turning to him. “Though he may have done the wrong things against the kingdom, he is still a child. I am not sure what exactly happened with him or why he did the things he did, but I do hope that they captured him.”

Of course… like everyone else, they just wanted him locked away because he was dangerous. 

“Because he is dangerous, right?” Varian grumbled out. 

Xavier shook his head. “Because he needs to learn from his mistakes. Besides, he has recreated an ancient wonder of Corona. Who thought that I would be able to see automatons in such numbers with my very own eyes?”

“I know right!” Varian couldn’t help himself as a wide grin grew on his face. “The science behind it is so fascinating! Automatons are so cool!”

Xavier let out a chuckle before smiling fondly at him. 

“That is the first time I’ve seen you talk about something so eagerly. Engineering seems to be your interest,” Xavier mused. 

Varian blinked before quickly shoving those feelings of happiness down. He shouldn’t be happy talking to him. He just needed his supplies and to leave. 

“It’s just a hobby,” Varian grumbled out before grabbing his change and poles. He then stormed off as a frown formed on Xavier’s face. 

The masked fellow had come to Xavier’s place a multitude of times. Most times, he simply came to get materials and Xavier wished he got to see personally what the guy had created. However, he never held an actual conversation and only dropped by to grab things. Then, he would quickly leave, not wanting to spend any time chatting. 

At least this time, he talked to Xavier however… there was a clear darkness that trailed behind the fellow with a hint of sadness. 

He couldn’t place what it was, but he only wished things would get better for him. 

* * *

“Ugh! I knew something was off,” Cassandra let out a huff of frustration. “It was the same thing that let me guard that pompous scientist during that nerd expo.”

At first, Cassandra had followed Stan to her father. She managed to run into Lance and ordered him to go watch Ruddiger for her. 

However, when she reported in, Cassandra found out that guards had slipped and hurt themselves because of wet floors. It unnerved Cassandra and she just had to go back and check only to find Lance trapped and Ruddiger was gone.

He was the key to finding out what Varian was up to and now he was gone. Varian had managed to snatch him back right under their noses. 

Cassandra wanted to throw down her helmet in frustration. 

BOOM!

“What was that?!” 

Cassandra ran to the source to find Rapunzel and Eugene already standing there. 

“What happened?” she asked before seeing a scorched area with clear indications of an explosion. It was a fairly small one but harmless. 

“I don’t know. We were just walking by when we saw this box with a wick on it. It was on fire but then it suddenly exploded,” Rapunzel explained. 

“Varian… He created a bomb,” Cassandra concluded. 

Rapunzel’s eyes widened as she gasped looking down at the marks on the floor. 

“You got to be kidding me!?” Eugene shouted as he pulled at his hair. “He created a bomb?! Why did he have to create a bomb?!” 

“But why is there flour here?” Rapunzel asked confused, pointing to the flour that was also on the floor. 

“Who cares!” Eugene shouted. “What if there are other bombs?!”

“What? Are there any others?” Rapunzel asked. 

“I’m not-”

BOOM!

The explosion cut off Cassandra’s response as that one was much louder and sounded more dangerous. 

“Another?!” Rapunzel shouted as they ran over to see a large area had been scorched. 

“Princess!” Stan and Pete ran up to her holding their weapons. “It seems we are under attack.”

“Start looking for boxes,” Cassandra ordered. “There should be a wick on it, and it may be lit. Put out the fire immediately if possible. If not, try to contain the explosion to where it won’t cause harm.”

“Right!” The two ran off and went to tell the other guards.

“Come on. We need to hurry and find out if there are any others,” Cassandra said as they gave a nod and quickly began to explore searching for another box. 

BOOM!

One of the guest rooms was the victim this time…

BOOM!

Another large hallway was the next victim…

Though, the guards did seem to manage to stop a box from exploding only to reveal flour inside. 

Was that just a fake-out?

Either way, Rapunzel had a bad feeling…

“Wait. Let’s check the throne room!” Rapunzel said as they ran to the throne room. It was lunchtime which meant that everyone was luckily in another room, however it also meant the throne room was empty. 

Sure enough, they found a large box with a wick about to go inside the box. 

Oh no…

This was much larger and would cause some serious damage to the throne room, but they made it too late. They couldn’t stop it.

“Raps!” Cassandra grabbed her hand and yanked her out of the throne room. They pressed themselves to the wall and waited for the explosion to occur. 

Rapunzel shut her eyes tightly and covered her ears…

But there was nothing. 

Nothing came.

“Uh… is it just me or wasn’t it supposed to explode by now?” Eugene asked confused. 

They peeked their heads inside to see the box let out a few pops and cracks before the sides of the box collapsed revealing a hastily painted picture of Rapunzel, Eugene, and Cassandra looking distressed with a sign in front of it. 

“Got ya.”

For once, Cassandra and Eugene could agree on one thing. They both wanted to strangle the Alchemist with their bare hands for the prank he pulled on them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So to explain the explosions, Varian did use flour and fire to cause an explosion. How? Well, Varian poured flour into a box that created a cloud of flour in the air. The small particles of flour is flammable and if you light a fire in the dust cloud, it will explode. Hence all Varian did was grab boxes, filled it up with flour and got a starter so it will explode. Simple and easy science. Feel free to look up dust explosions for more details.


End file.
